Door control device



April 1960 M. CARLSON 2,933,755

noon CONTROL DEVICE Filed May 23, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.

Y M aw 39W April 26, 1960 M. CARLSQN noon CONTROL DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet, 2

mmvrm 70mm 6 mm Filed May 23, 195

Unite grates Patent 6 DOOR CONTROL DEVICE Martin Carlson, Brookfield, Ill., assignor to George W. Houlsby, In, Chicago, 111.

Application May 23, 1956, Serial No. 586,780

2 Claims. (Cl. 16-55) The present invention relates to door check devices and more particularly to devices of this character which are substantially wholly submerged in the floor so as to have the top surface thereof approximately flush with the floor surface and in which the door check mechanism provides a vertical spindle for journaling the door for swinging movement and for supporting the weight of the door.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel door check device of the above general character which can be manufactured quite inexpensively'so as to bring the cost of such door mounting down to a figure which makes the use of such devices practical for ordinary interior doors'. Yet another object is to provide a device of this character which is extremely simple in construction and which may be manufactured so as to cover the entire range of operational characteristics ordinarily considered desirable, without basic change in the device itself.

Yet another object is to provide a door checking device which with minor manufacturing modification can be supplied for swinging movement throughout an angle of 90, 105, or 180, with or without a hold open device, these being the most commonly met with requirements in the trade.

Still another object is to provide a door checking device of the above character which will have a long service life with little attention.

Yet another object is to provide a door checking device of this character which will permit the door to swing in the closing direction as rapidly as is desirable until it has reached almost the closed position, after which the closing movement shifts to a low speed for finally bringing the door to rest against its stop without jar or noise.

Other objects and advantages will T become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of my invention which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, in which similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is substantially a horizontal medial sectional view through a door check embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view which may be considered as taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

' Fig 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view which may be considered as taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line 33 of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 4 is a fractional view, generally similar to Fig. 1 but showing the mechanism as adapted for 180 of door rotation;

.Fig. 5 is a fractional sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows showing a detail of construction; and Fig. 6' is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a detail'of the mechanism and may be considered as taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line 6--6 of Fig. 3. s

The door check of this invention, like most devices of this general character, has what is commonly termed a cement case 10, which is mounted in the floor, be it concrete or otherwise, and which provides a recess for housing the working mechanism and a means for mounting the device. The checking arrangement proper, indicated generally by the numeral 12, is located in this cement case and retained therein by screws 14. This mechanism 12 consists of a cored and machined casting 16 in which the various operating elements are located. Near one end a vertical spindle 18 extends through the top of the casting and at its upper end is formed so as to have a wedge shape as at 20 which fits into a complementary socket formed in a member secured, for instance, within a recess in the lower edge of a door 22. Thus the door can be assembled into position simply by slipping the socket at the bottom of the door over the upper end 20 of the spindle 18 and attachinga pivot at the top edge of the door to maintain alignment. Thereafter, the door and spindle 18 rotate together.

The spindle 18 is journaled in the casting near its upper end by a sleeve bearing 24 held in place by a threaded retainer 26, while at the lower end the thrust load upon the spindle as well as a portion of the radial load is carried by a ball bearing assembly as indicated at 28.

At an intermediate position, the spindle 18 is keyed as at 30 to a gear sector 32 which, therefore, rotates with the spindle. Teeth are shown as being cut in the sector 32 for something over around its periphery. Since in this particular embodiment the spindle 18 is intended for 90 of rotation, a few extra degrees are provided as a safety factor.

A second gear sector 34 has teeth meshed with those in the sector 32. This second sector is pivoted about a pin 36 which is located within a clearance hole drilled into the casting from the top, the upper end of this hole being threaded so as to receive the threaded head 38 of the pin 36. In the present instance the diameters of the sectors 34 and 32 are approximately the same, although this is not essential, and teeth'are therefore cut around the periphery of the sector 34 throughout approximately 9Q". At the end of the toothed portion of the sector 34 which is in engagement with the sector 32 when the door is in the open position, the sector 34 has an out- Somewhat beyond the center of rotation 36 of the sector 34, the casting is machined to provide a cylinder 42 which is disposed upon a horizontal axis, with its center line in the plane of the sector 34. A piston 44 is fitted to this cylinder, and is connected by a piston pin 46 to a connecting rod or link 48 which extends out of the open end of the cylinder and at its opposite end is forked and pivoted to the sector 34 by a pin 50.

Conveniently, the connecting rod or link 48 can be formed of two pieces of stamped and deformed pieces of strip stock which are resistance welded together. Similarly the sector 34, and if desired the sector 32, can be formed by shearing sheet stock to the proper contour in a punch press and riveting the pieces together in stacked relation prior to finish machining, so as to obtain these blanks at lower expense than would be encountered if these elements were formed as single pieces from heavier stock or as forgings.

A coil compression spring 52 surrounds the connecting rod or link 48 and bears with one end against the piston 44 while its. opposite end is supported by ears 54. As shown, there are four of these ears, which are formed as a portion of the main casting. The action of this spring is to urge the piston 44 away from the sector 34, thereby rotating this sector in one. direction and the sector 32 in the, opposite. direction to the. position. assumedT by. the; spindle 18' when the door is closed. Preferably,.this.rotation, shouldhe such as;to tend toswingthe door; slightly beyond closedposition. so' that the. door stop. serves as the ultimatev limitingmeansforaligningthe door inclosed position. When thespindle 18,,isrotated. as by swinging the door tothe openpositiomthe sectors 32,and 34 are rotated so as. to retraetthe, piston,44 in the cylinder 42 and compress the spring 52.

The open endof the cylinder. 42 is. closed by athreaded cap or cylinder head 56which may, if desired, be-secured by a screw 8to an angle hracket60, which overlies a ledge 62 formed onthe cementcaseso as to give support to the cylinder end of, the operating portion 12 of, the mechanism. At its opposite end the casting 16 has ears 64 whichsimilarly overlie a ledge 66 on the cement case, thereby supporting the, operating portion of the mechanism and the door from the cement case andultimately from the floor itself.

As is best seen in Fig. 2, the piston 44 is drilled through to provide a passage which is larger at the outer end, thereby providing a tapered valve seat 70 atthe intersection of the two passage portions. The larger of these passage portions, that is, the one toward the cylinder head, contains a ball 72 retained loosely in place by a cross pin 74, so that this ball acts as a one-way check to permit fluid to flow freely intoth'e space between the head of the piston 44 and the cylinder head 56, but to prevent flow in the opposite direction.

As is best seen iuFigs. 3 and 6, the casting is drilled to provide a horizontal passage 76, which extends from the open end of the cylinder 42 in a longitudinal direction to a point beyond the active portionof the cylinder 42. This can either be to a position beyond that ever reached by the piston 44, or, if desired, it can be arranged as shown so that the left hand portion of the cylindrical bore as seen in Fig. 1 is relieved to a larger diameter so that although this relieved portion acts as ahousing for the spring 62, it does not actively act as a cylinder for the piston 44. In any event, at this end the passage 76 is connected by a port 78 to the cylinder 42. At its opposite end the passage 76 is connected by a port structure 80 to the cylinder 42 immediately adjacent the cylinder head. 56, and slightly to the left of thisposition as. seen in Fig. 1, there is an additional port structure 82 connecting the passage 76 to the cylinder 42.

Referring now to Figs. 3. and 6, it will be seen that flow into the. passage, 76 by wayof the port 82 is con- I trolled by an adjustable needle valve 84 which is accessible without removing the door check mechanism,

simply by removing a cover plate or dress plate 86 which serves to cover the working portion of the mechanism for the purpose of giving the device a more finished appearance. A similar needle valve 85 is arranged to control flow from the passage 76 through the port 80.

As shownin Fig. 1, and Fig. 5, there is a drilled and threaded horizontal passage, 88 disposed such that its inner end interseetsthe clearance hole for the, lower end of the spindle 1, 8 along itscenter line. Asteel ball 89 is placed in this passage and is urged against the surface of the spindle 18,by a-coil spring 92 which is compressed by a. follower 94threadedinto the passage 88. At a proper position, the. lower portion of the spindle 18 is provided, with a depression. 96 .which is; engaged by t e allf9 jwhenever.thedoorjs swungslightly past the normal open position. By usingv this arrangement the door can be opened and will reclose in the customary fashion unless it ispushedropen beyond the normal open position, in which casetheball 90 will snap into the recess 96, thereby holding the door in, open position until it isspulledinfihezclosinggdirection hard enoughsto unseat 4 the ball, after which the door will swing closed in the customary fashion.

This mechanism operates generally as follows: Whenever the door is swung in the opening direction, the spindle 18 and sector 32 are rotated, and this in turn rotates the sector 34 in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Fig. 1. Rotationinthis direction may continue throughout the normal range of door opening movement. During rotation of these elements in the door opening direction, the link 48.and piston 44 aremoved toward the left as seen in Fig. 1, thereby enlarging the space between the end of the piston 44 and the cylinder head 56. Oil, which substantially fills the case, therefore flows through the passage 68 around the ball 72 so as to maintain this space full.

' During this movement of the piston 44 the spring 52 is compressed and therefore, as soon as the door is released, the spring 52 tends to urge the piston 44.to.ward the right as seen in Fig. 1, thereby rotatingthe sectors 34 and32 and the spindle 18 in door closing direction. As soon as this movement starts, reverse flow through the passage 68 seats the ball.72 and closes this passage against the escape of oil. Oil therefore flows through the ports and, 82 into the, passage 76 and thence by way of the port 78 to the cylinder 42 in a position be! hind the piston 44. Theneedle valve 84, whichcontrols flow throughthe port 82.is adjusted so as topermit the door to close relatively rapidly until the piston44 has traveled far enough to cover, the port 82, thereby reventing further flow through this port into the passage 76 and confining fiow by way of the port 80. The needle valve 85, which controls-flow through-the port 80, is:.adjusted permit flow therethrough ata relatively low rate, with the result that the door closesrapidly until the port 82 is covered and thereafter moves slowly until it is finally brought to restagainst the door stop.

The arcuate span of the teeth on the sector 34 and the position of the stop 40 will determine the angle of swing of the door up to a matter of or so, without complication.

The mechanism can also be adapted, rather easily, for permitting the door to swing through of rotation as is shown in Fig. 4. This is accomplished .by drilling the holefor the pin 36, somewhat farther away from the spindle 18 and using a larger diameter'sector 34a in place of sector 34 with more teeth thereon, so that any particular angular displacement of the sector 34a lS-HC. companied by a considerably greater displacement of the sector 32. In adapting the mechanism for 180 of rotation, a slight shift in the position of the pin 50 is also desirable and of course the depression 96 is repositioned.

From the above description of a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be appreciated that varia;- tions and'modifications may be made in the structure shown without departing from my invention and that the scope of this invention is to be measured by the scope of the accompanying claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as. new and-useful and desire-to secure by Letters Patentof; the United States is:

1. In a door checkdevice,,a-rotatable doorspindle, a firstgsar.membermounted to rotate withsaid spindlena second gear member meshedwith thefirst. gear member and mounted to rotate therewith, means, forming a,hydraulic cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, passage means connected to said cylinder at either side of said piston for permitting a restricted flow around said piston, a single link connecting said piston directly to said second gear member at an eccentric portion thereof so-thatrotation of said door spindle indoor opening direction retracts said piston in saidcylinder, resilient means tendingto advance said piston in said cylinder, meansforming a-substantially nonrestricted flow pathfor fluid from one. side=-of said piston to the other when said piston moves-indoor opening; direction,. but..to.;substantially prevent flow;in.:thc

opposite direction and a radial projection on one of said gear members adapted for engagement with the other of said gear members to prevent relative rotation of said gear members beyond a certain position in door opening direction.

2. :In a door check device, a door mounting spindle, a first gear member fixed to said spindle, a second gear member meshed with the first gear member and mounted to rotate relative thereto, means forming a hydraulic cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, passage means connected to said cylinder at either side of said piston for permitting a restricted flow around said piston, linkage means connecting said piston directly to said second gear member at an eccentric portionthereof so that swinging movement of said door in door opening direction retracts said piston in said cylinder, resilient means tending to "in door opening direction, but to substantially prevent flow in the opposite direction, and a radial projection on one of said gear members adapted for engagement with the other of said gear members to prevent relative rotation of said gear members beyond a certain position in door opening direction.

eierences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,595,723 Norton Aug. 10, 1926 2,045,076 Garrison June 23, 1936 2,680,263

Hanssen June 8, 1954 

